Indeed! We moved here for the mountains.
Oh I love that line, looking forward to stealing it from you! Iād agree that Iām more of a food and wine person than a straight up wine guy, though I do take pleasure in a glass that stands alone. I just drank a bottle of Felsinaās CCR recently. Day 1 it was closed off and I shouldāve saved more of it, but day 2 it was singing. And I know I couldāve had spaghetti and meatballs with tomato sauce and it would have stood up to it. I sometimes wonder how many bottles Iāve discounted because I didnāt take the time to get to know it.
Also, itās funny you mention Gravonia because I love it, but Iāve never tried it without food ha!
I definitely fall into the Old World wine plus food camp as well. I think cooking is a bigger hobby of mine than wine to be honest. Itās something my wife and I can share more easily together and with friends. But of course thereās always wine.
Canāt say Iāve had any 100% Macabeo, mostly just in Cava. I did pick up the LdH Rioja blanco Reserva tondonia from 2008 there other dayā¦excited to try more rotten grape juice. Food suggestions with it?
We did street tacos and some cheese for an LdH tasting. Literally, 8 hour slow cooked pork shoulder and tortillas, plus several different ages of manchego. It wasnāt perfect, but it was good.
The LdH whites have an oxidized note I associate with sherry. They pair especially well with salty appetizer/tapas items like ham and olives. I like them with deep fried foods, especially with garlicky aioli. I have roast chicken recipes with Spanish flavors that I love with the Tondonia Blanco. The chicken skin is crisp and nicely salty and the Spanish profile helps lock it in. Iāve never tried it but I bet they would be good with fried chicken.
Being a cook and understanding how flavors interact helps with pairing but I usually just take the lazy āif it grows together, it goes togetherā approach. In the case of Europe and the Mediterranean, people are not going to spend centuries making wines that suck with their food. Theyāve already done the work so I donāt have to. ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
A bit off topic, but I just moved to Denver, is there any good recommendations for offsite storage?
Marcus, the GM at The Vineyard wine shop uses one of the off site storage companies and recommended it to me at one point, but I canāt recall the name. You could try calling them up and asking.
Max - a few more of our favorites I havenāt seen mentioned:
- Annette - located in Stanley marketplace. Hands down our favorite place in town. JBA nominated chef for several years in a row. She and her husband own the place. Great hospitality; great food; small, but well-curated wine list.
- The Bobby Stuckey collection: Frasca (Boulder), Tavernetta (LoDo), Sunday Vinyl (LoDo). Great wine options all around. Frasca is upscale, white tablecloth, Somms in jackets, etc. Tavernetta is slightly more casual, but you still get some great Italian food. Sunday Vinyl is more comfort-food driven, with an upscale twist. SV does a Wednesday āflight nightā that is fun and educational.
- Mercantile - High-end comfort food. Havenāt been there since head chef left a few months back, but was a great option previously.
- Smok - Good BBQ. Definitively not fancy, in a good way.
- Bacon Social House - need I say more?
- Sierra - south side of town in Lone Tree. Wood-fired grill. Service can be lacking at times, but food is spot on. Try the ribs or the halibut!
Someone mentioned Matsuhisa as being over-rated - frankly, we love it for a high-end sushi joint. They have an enormous menu to start and even more off-the-menu, but always available, options if you ask.
I agree with recommendations for Santa (take a group!), Barolo Grill, Denver Biscuit Co, OneFold.
Weāll hopefully be trying out Bellota (formerly Acorn) on Friday night.
That was me on Matsuhisa, I wasnāt super impressed. I think they did the food well, but what separates a place like Matsuhisa from one like Sushi Den is largely the service and it was lacking on our trip.
Iāll agree on Bacon Social, but itās kind of like Snooze for me. If thereās a 30-45 minute wait, it just really isnāt worth it. The coffee shop in the Source used to sell breakfast tacos from Smok and they were amazing, but thatās my only experience with them to date. Will add it to the list of must-tries. Havenāt done Annette yet or the Stuckey collection, but a friend just moved to town from SFO that regards them highly so Iāll eventually get there. I had a good meal at Mercantile before I really got into food and thought it was good and not great, so generally I just donāt speak on it.
Dying to know how Bellota is, please follow up!
Dang, I didnāt realize Acorn closed. That was one of our favorites. Loved the tapas style dishes. Bellota looks a lot like Los Chingones, a Troy Guard place. Annette is great, good brunch also.
Barolo grill bday dinner this Fridayā¦what wine should we pick?!
Even further off topic, but this thread has the attention of some Denver people. Iād be willing to sell or trade a few De Negoce bottles from a couple offers I bought. Running out of cellar storage at the moment. Iāve got OG 40 and OG 82 coming in the next few weeks/months and would give up 4 - 6 of either.
Going through that list is always fun, I have a feeling youāre going to figure it out just fine. But Iād lean towards some Barbaresco with some age, personal taste.
Jonathan,
Nice list! Lots of my favorites on there but its tough given how a lot of those age at a snailās pace. Vajraās Barolo BdV has always shown well to me at tastings so might do well with some air. I like their selection of Alto Piemonte wines. Le Piane Boca is a great wine. I like Antoniolo for Gattinara and Nervi-Conterno is supposed to be ramping up nicely but Iāve never tried one myself.
Have fun!
Nervi Conterno is lit
Splendid! Iāve got a case of 2016 I bought based on the vintage and producer. Really like these Alto Piemontese wines. Very āflexibleā.
The 2015 is the only one Iāve had (in 375ml), and have 3 more of the 2015 in 750 Iāll drink probably over the next 10 years or so. Agree on the flexibility!
Excited to see some momentum for Denver berserkers. I just moved down from Breckenridge, and appreciate the recs!
FYI, for folks who donāt want to spend the Frasca money, Iāve heard you can order from their wine list next door at Pizzeria Locale! Personally, I find their brand of high end hospitality makes me a bit uncomfortable, but Iām a more low-key kind of person anyways. Also, while youāre in Boulder be sure to swing by the Boulder Wine Merchant. There arenāt a ton of deals to be had, but the staff and selection is fantastic.
Sorry I donāt have any contractor recs, but for offsite Iāve had good experiences with Corkscrews.
Does the Boulder Wine Merchant have any relation to the Denver Wine Merchant off I-25 and Park Ave? Just stopped in today and apparently itās owned by a Master Somm and Advanced Somm. They do have some really cool stuff in there, their lineup of Bereche was lit.
I donāt know of any business connection. I do believe the owners are friends, and obviously both MSās.
Max - Bellota was good, but needs probably another 6-8 weeks (of non-lockdown) of service. Service was attentive and appropriate. Food suggests the kitchen needs a bit more refinement. Drinks were also good, not exceptional. Overall: Not great, solidly good. Will revisit in a few months.